TD Bank Presents A Holiday Classic for All Ages - The Nutcracker

New Jersey Ballet prepares for 39th season of Nutcracker

There’s no better way to get into the spirit of the holidays than taking time to indulge in the spun sugar fantasy of a little girl named Clara and her amazing Nutcracker. This year marks the 39th season for New Jersey’s favorite Nutcracker. The production debuted at Paper Mill Playhouse in 1971, with Edward Villella (then a star with New York City Ballet) as the Cavalier. Over the years, thousands of performers and millions of viewers have made this Nutcracker a cherished holiday tradition throughout New Jersey and beyond.

This Nutcracker is a traditional production that fills the stage with nearly 100 performers, brilliant dancing, glorious costumes, eye-popping special effects, and a sense of holiday magic that has inspired critics to write “It’s a spectacle that never seems to age…magic that should go on and on,” and “One of the best…as good as it gets.”

The heart of the production is New Jersey Ballet’s acclaimed troupe of international artists – 20 dancers from 9 countries including the United States. These artists have toured worldwide with such internationally renowned companies as the Bolshoi, Russian National Ballet, Ballet Argentino, Ballet de Cali (Colombia), Sesiminas Companhia (Brazil), Russian Imperial Ballet, the Royal Ballet (London), Ochi International Ballet (Japan) and many more. Many have also performed with such acclaimed American companies as Stars of American Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Fort Worth Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Ballet Austin, and the international tour of Riverdance.

Acclaimed as the state’s leading ballet company, New Jersey Ballet is celebrating its 50th anniversary through 2009. The company has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in recognition of its “artistic excellence, substantial programming and broad public service.” Over the years New Jersey Ballet has performed in every corner of the state, bringing the magic of dance theatre to millions. The company has also toured internationally in Europe and Asia. In 2007, the company’s Nutcracker became the first full length classical ballet ever performed in India. The successful trip resulted in three sold-out performances in that country’s new national arts center in Mumbai.

New Jersey Ballet’s extensive performance schedule is made possible in part by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and by other generous corporate, foundation, and individual contributors. The company has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for “artistic excellence, substantial programming, and broad public service.” For more information and a complete performance schedule, call 973-597-9600 or log on to www.njballet.org.

bergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt, Englewood. 

SAT. DEC. 5, 1:00 & 4:30PM   -  SUN. DEC 6, 4:30pm

Tickets $20 to $50   --  Tickets 201-227-1030 www.bergenpac.org.